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The Conservatives currently have a 17 seat working majority in the House of Commons, with 330 MPs. Labour have 229, the SNP 54 and the Liberal Democrats have nine.

If current polls are to be believed, analysts say she could return to Parliament in June with a 140 seat majority.

No other Conservative government in modern times has been this far ahead of the main opposition party in polls 51 days from a general election.

Theresa May and her husband Philip outside Downing Street when she became leader last July

Bookies have made Mrs May strong favourite to be in charge of the country after the election

The next biggest was in 1987, when Margaret Thatcher's government had a poll lead that averaged 14 points.

Regular polling in the UK began after the Second World War.

Since then only three Conservative prime ministers have called an election while leading by more than five points in the polls: Harold Macmillan in 1959, Mrs Thatcher in 1983 and 1987, and Mrs May in 2017.

But Jeremy Corbyn today insisted he can be the next prime minister and said he wants to lead a government to 'transform this country', ending austerity and tackling inequality.

Bookmakers say it is odds on that Corbyn will be replaced as leader this year

Asked if he was the next prime minister, Mr Corbyn said: 'If we win the election, yes. And I want to lead a government that will transform this country, give real hope to everybody and above all bring about a principle of justice for everybody and economic opportunities for everybody.'

Challenged on whether he would quit if the party failed to win, he said: 'We are campaigning to win this election, that's the only question now.'

In a sign of the discontent within the Labour ranks, MP Tom Blenkinsop immediately said he would not stand for re-election.

The MP criticised the leader last week after Labour lost a Middlesbrough council seat to the Tories on a by-election swing of 8%.

He said: 'I have made no secret about my significant and irreconcilable differences with the current Labour leadership. It is because of these differences I feel I cannot in good faith stand as the Labour candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.'

The Tories' current lead of 17 points is not the largest ever enjoyed by a governing party at this stage before an election, however.

Tony Blair's Labour government went into the 2001 general election with a lead averaging 19 points, going on to win by a landslide.

At the equivalent point in the 2015 general election campaign, the Conservatives were roughly two points behind Labour but went on to win a majority.